Budget PC < $1000 Portable (Kind of)

Llastq on 26/07/2016 - 00:56
Last edited 26/07/2016 - 01:33 by 1 other user

Hi all, I'm in the process of building a new pc, and would like some thoughts and input on my component choices. The pc is mainly for everyday tasks including YouTube streaming, watching movies and media, and occasional gaming on MOBAs (dota 2) and battlefield 4 (and perhaps bf1 in a year or so). Trying to make the build as cheap as possible, but under $1000. I want to be able to bring the computer between my place and my girlfriends place, hence I have selected the mini-itx case (the handle looks boss). This will be my first build, but I am fairly confident in the whole pc building process.

Case: corsair 380t $155
Cpu i3-6100 $155
Motherboard h170n-wifi itx $189
Psu corsair cx430m $63
Ram 8gb ddr4 2133mhz patriot $39
Gpu gigabyte Gtx 750ti-oc 2gb $159
Storage: sandisk ultra II 240gb $99

Total: $859

Most of, if not all of these parts will probably be bought from local stores eg msy cpl.

What would you change? Will this build be good enough?
Cheers
Edit not sure how to move the topic to the computing section of the forums..

• 

  scrimshaw on 26/07/2016 - 01:14

  +1

  for $40 dollars extra, the 2GB R9 380 will offer more frames per dollar. Delivery is discounted to $5 so that makes it $200 in total.

  Normally $235, Offer Ends 26/07/2016. Be quick or it will expire.

  The only problem is, I'm not sure if a 430 watt power supply is enough to juice it. It might since it's a Corsair.. but it might be worthwhile throwing more money at the power supply and getting a proper 500watt one that's Tier 3 or better.

  Looking at PARTS.PDF, the Antec High Current Gamer 520m (Modular) is $99 and is considered a Tier 2 power supply — pretty good stuff. That's what I'd recommend if you want a slightly 'premium' PSU, although you can also spend less and grab the Antec VP500P for $59, but it's a very average PSU and it's considered Tier 3 (still, it's better than the Corsair CX). This is not modular.

  Reference guide for PSU's

• 

  Kangal on 26/07/2016 - 03:31

  -2

  The GTX 750Ti is one of the best gpu's out there simply because its so powerful, yet quite, low-power draw, and only needs the PCIE slot connection.
  However, you could get one of those "Mini" model gpus, to get something more useful whilst not compromising the space requirements in a mini-ITX case.
  There are GTX 960 mini cards, and I recall one GTX 970 mini card too.
  However, scratch all those cards… Pascal is here.
  The GTX 1060 is what you will want. And even better is that there is a GTX 1070 Mini edition already, and its cheaper than FE (US only).

  By the way, that is not a bad case at all.
  But if you want something more like a "console killer", there are other options too.
  Such as the Fractal Node 202. Or even better the Silverstone Raven RVZ 02.
  …and if you really want it…
  …there is also the Dan Case A4-SFX.

  Recommended Build:
  RVZ02
  GTX 1060
  500W PSU
  Core i5
  8GB DDR4
  512GB SSD EVO 850
  2TB 2.5in HDD
  (not including qwerty, mouse, display, Windows)
  (Total US $950 discount)
  (~AUD $1,270 or more)

  Best Build:
  A4-SFX
  GTX 1070 Mini
  650W PSU
  Core i7-K
  16GB DDR4
  1TB SSD PRO 850
  2TB 2.5in HDD
  (not including qwerty, mouse, display, Windows)
  (Total US $1,600)
  (~AUD $2,200+ )

• 

  klaw81 on 26/07/2016 - 07:18

  If you want something that easily slips into your budget, and is way smaller than any of the above options, but still capable of decent gaming at 1080p, pick yourself up an Alienware Alpha desktop from the Dell Factory Outlet. There are currently heaps of them available for $800, with a quad-core i7 CPU and a GPU that's a bit better than the 750Ti in your build. And they're smaller than a PS4, so they're very easy to transport. Use some of your left-over money to swap in a good sized SSD to speed up boot and load times, and you're golden.

  The downside with the Alienware approach is that the GPU isn't upgradable and it's already outdated (there's a new model, but it's not cheap yet). So sticking to your Mini ITX idea and the Corsair 380T, I'd suggest that you can just ditch the 750Ti for something much more powerful. A GeForce 1060 would be ideal and would come very close to your budget limit.

  I would stay away from the AMD cards (except perhaps the new 480) simply because they require so much extra power and create so much extra heat for the same performance as the GeForce ones. You don't want either of those things in a small case, on a budget.

• 

  lastq on 26/07/2016 - 16:22

  Thanks all. I might change the PSU to a semi-passive one such as the corsair RM550x or SF450 as the reviews for these 2 systems seem pretty good and quiet, however a bit hesitant due to the RM being listed as a tier 3 psu..

  Do I really need a gtx 1060/1070 for what I am doing though? I only have a 1080p monitor so I cant play in 4k or anything..